"At first, Ethel Branch thought her two-year-old son, Patro, had a cold or maybe the flu. But on a chilly day in November 2022, a seemingly common childhood ailment took a hairpin turn that nearly sent him into respiratory failure. That day, fever, congestion and lethargy set in to the point that Branch took Patro to an emergency room in Winslow, Ariz., where he was diagnosed with croup, given steroids and released."
"My son got COVID, and it was not that bad, Branch recalls. In fact, he didn't even really present symptoms. But with RSV, I couldn't have waited any longer before taking him into the ER because his chest was depressed. Patro left the hospital after four days, but his recovery was far from over. Three years later, he still goes to the emergency room for oxygen and breathing treatments every winter."
A two-year-old, Patro, developed fever, congestion and lethargy and was initially diagnosed with croup and discharged after steroids. The next day his chest began to cave in and he was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), placed on oxygen and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. He left after four days but continues to need emergency oxygen and breathing treatments each winter three years later. The dangers of RSV were largely unrecognized in Branch's tribal community and with some health care workers, and similar severe RSV experiences are reportedly common among Native Americans, especially on reservations.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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